Ghostface Killah

Dennis David Coles (born May 9, 1970), better known by his stage name Ghostface Killah, is an American rapper and a member of the hip hop group Wu-Tang Clan.

After the group achieved breakthrough success in the aftermath of Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers), the members went on to pursue solo careers to varying levels of success.

The album, which debuted at #2 on the Billboard 200, had a more pronounced soul influence (particularly 1970s soul) than previous Wu-Tang releases, and Ghostface's future albums would continue to feature this stylistic trait.

He readily and regularly took on the role of executive producer for many collective efforts as well along with RZA and Oli Power Grant.

His stage name was taken from one of the characters in the 1979 kung fu film The Mystery of Chess Boxing.

He is the founder of his own record label, Starks Enterprises.

Ghostface Killah is critically acclaimed for his loud, fast-paced flow, and his emotional stream-of-consciousness narratives containing cryptic slang and non-sequiturs.

In 1995, Ghostface guest-starred extensively on fellow Clan member Raekwon's debut album, Only Built 4 Cuban Linx..., appearing on almost every song and receiving nearly equal billing.

"It felt good to have my boy next to me, Ghostface, who basically comes from the same lifestyle as I come from. And we were able to sit down and concoct an idea that we both were able to respect and basically get everybody in the crew involved...", said Raekwon about Ghostface's involvement in the project.

Raekwon intended Only Built 4 Cuban Linx... to play like a film, with himself as the "star," Ghostface Killah as the "guest star" and producer RZA as the "director."

Ghostface Killah debuted his solo career with Ironman, which was well-received by music critics, in 1996.

He also contributed songs to the Sunset Park and Don't Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood soundtracks; both songs were included on his first solo LP, Ironman, in 1996.

He has enjoyed continued success in the years that have followed, releasing critically acclaimed albums such as Supreme Clientele (2000) and Fishscale (2006).

In the year 2000, Ghostface released his second studio album, Supreme Clientele.

The album was well received by critics, and peaked at #7 on the Billboard 200|Billboard 200.

It included "Apollo Kids", a popular single which featured Raekwon and had a sample of "Cool Breeze" by Solomon Burke.

"Cherchez La Ghost", another single off the album, became a minor club hit.

Supreme Clientele marked a turning point in terms of RZA's influence on Ghostface's sound, as only six songs on it are produced by RZA, whereas on Ironman, its predecessor, every song but one is produced by RZA.

Although he contributed fewer beats to the project than to Ironman, RZA personally oversaw the mixing and production of the album as a whole, thereby contributing to Supreme Clientele's unified sound.

Ghostface wasted little time in recording his next album, the heavily R&B-influenced Bulletproof Wallets, released a year after Supreme Clientele.

Its main single, "Never Be the Same Again", featured Raekwon and Carl Thomas.

It produced another minor club hit, "Flowers", which featured guest vocals from fellow Wu-Tang members Method Man and Raekwon, and a popular single, "Ghost Showers" which featured Madame Majestic, whose other key claim to fame is that she sings on the popular Wu-Tang track "Gravel Pit".

In 2003, Ghostface signed with Def Jam Records.

After temporarily dropping "Killah" from his stage name, Ghostface released The Pretty Toney Album in April 2004.

The album, while containing two RZA productions, featured none of the Clan; instead, it featured collaborations with Missy Elliott, D-Block, and Jacki-O.

The singles "Tush" and "Run", which were collaborations with Missy and Jadakiss respectively, achieved moderate success in the clubs and on the charts, and the album was featured on numerous "best of the year" lists; for instance, it was Pitchfork Media's #9 album of the year.

Ghostface also appeared on the track "On My Knees" by UK R&B group the 411; the song became a hit in the UK and Australia.

Ghostface then released an album entitled 718 (after the Staten Island area code) with a group of his protégés, the Theodore Unit.

Ghostface also appeared on "He Comes" by De La Soul, on The Grind Date.

In November 2005, Ghostface and Theodore Unit's breakout star Trife Da God released a joint project, Put It on the Line.

In 2006, MTV included him as an "honourable mention" on their list of the "Greatest MCs of All Time", while the editors of About.com placed him on their list of the "Top 50 MCs of Our Time (1987–2007)", calling him "one of the most imaginative storytellers of our time."

Q magazine called him "rap's finest storyteller."

Pitchfork Media has stated that "Ghostface has unparalleled storytelling instincts; he might be the best, most colorful storyteller rap has ever seen."

NPR has called him "a compulsive storyteller", and asserts that "his fiction is painterly."

Ghostface grew up in the Stapleton Houses housing project in Staten Island, New York City, helping with daily care of two younger brothers who had muscular dystrophy.

In 2006, Ghostface teamed up with underground artist MF Doom for a still-unreleased album entitled Swift & Changeable.

MF Doom also produced several songs for Ghostface's 2006 album Fishscale, on which he chose to revert to the stage name "Ghostface Killah", rather than just "Ghostface".

The 2019 series Wu-Tang: An American Saga depicts a feud between him and fellow Clan member Raekwon; however the feud was purely fictional and never took place in reality.

Raekwon and Ghostface attended junior high school together.

A roommate of Wu-Tang founder RZA, Ghostface helped bring together the other seven members.